Bespoke internal software at large corporations can feel as though it's been put together by someone who's never met another human being.
There's an opportunity to unlock vast amounts of value by taking as much care in design for employees as firms would do for customers.
So, why don't they?
Structure Very rarely do internal software builders have access to product/design expertise or exposed to incentive structures that consider UI/UX.
Cost Quite simply, great design is expensive in terms of time and resource.With difficult to measure ROIs, internal software tools are unlikely to attract any significant budget. Add to that the tangled web of legacy software piles you'll find at larger organisations, you're unlikely to find an exec wanting to put their name to such a project.
Motivation Organisations have little incentive to improve. Employees might moan but are very unlikely to raise serious frustrations with internal software. It's not like employees can jump to using something else.
Employee Centred Design can make sense Whilst you can understand that internal software doesn't sound like the best investment, I argue that for product-led organisations it can be the foundation of a great culture.
What value could a internal product team bring?
Breeds excellence If employees see their company putting in the effort to improve their experience by investing in a great internal only product, imagine what they'll do for the customer. The ripple effects can positively impact the end product.
Driving efficiency Imagine applying the rapid iterative process of consumer product development to internal software tools. Having clear goals and the opportunity to assess and optimise regularly would quickly lead to a decent internal UX. Understanding the colleague problem or JTBD from first principles could improve the actual customer experience too. The next time you're on the phone with your bank or utility provider, just try to imagine the software they're using.
Teams won't settle for less Consumer-grade UX is desperately sought after in the workplace. Slack and Figma are examples of how great design can push change from the bottom up. Whilst we're not there yet, I can see a future where internal software tools will matter for employees looking to leave or join organisations.
We've seen great design work through the chain 1st Consumer > Small Business > Enterprise > Internal? - maybe it's next.
